75 Years Ago

Feb. 16, 1950 — School Patrol To Begin Monday

Boys to Guard 9th, B Crosswalks

A school boy patrol, designed to direct pedestrian traffic at school crosswalks, will begin operating next week, according to Hugh Hartman, principal of the elementary schools.

These boys, 24 in number, will be stationed at the corners of Ninth and B streets to assist school youngsters in crossing the street. Patrol members will wear Sam Browne belts and badges and carry yellow flags with the word “school” printed on them.

Hartman emphasizes that these boys will not hold up traffic but will delay the children’s crossing until the streets are clear.

The boy patrolmen will work in groups of eight, Hartman announced. With two members on each corner, the 24-boy group will split into squads of 12. Each squad will be on duty on alternate weeks. The patrol will be managed by a boy captain and sergeant.

Captain William Lansing and James Banks of the state traffic safety division assisted Hartman in the organization of the patrol.

Rail Lines Making New Freight Runs

Two regularly scheduled trips each way per day are being made through here now by Santa Fe and Great Northern freight trains. The runs are between Spokane and Puget Sound areas and California points.

These schedules are in addition to the regular central Oregon SP&S schedules of one mixed train daily and one local freight every other day, according to George Silkworth, SP&S freight and passenger agent for the area.

The Santa Fe and Great Northern have been running freight trains through here for years, Silkworth said, but not on regular schedules. They usually ran one trip per day plus overflow trains

50 Years Ago

Feb. 19, 1975 — Burglars hit seven places in Redmond

Two churches, two schools, two businesses and a residence fell victim to burglars during the past week, according to Redmond police.

The Rev. Don Parsons reported Monday morning that Zion Lutheran Church, 11th and Black Butte Blvd., had been entered by jimmying a lock. Taken were a fire extinguisher, which has been recovered, and a cassette recorder.

Bud Kribs, a member of the congregation, notified police on Wednesday of last week that the Redmond Christian Church, 536 S. 10th St., had been entered. Checks and a coffee pot are missing.

Both school burglaries were reported Saturday. Principal Ike Launstein reported stolen from John Tuck School a black zipper bag of miniature tools, and about $15 to $20 in change from the office and soft drink machine. The glass had been broken out of two inside doors and the soft drink machine had been damaged.

Principal Dick Rice said the culprits had attempted to break into the safe at Jessie Hill School and had taken about $15 in change from the soft drink machine.

Adjacent businesses in the 1700 block of W. Highland Ave. were burglarized Wednesday night.

Entered through its back door, Lou’s Beauty Shoppe is missing its cash register drawer containing $100.

Reported taken from Hi-Land Coin-Op Laundry was a gold purse containing $150. The case and two checks were recovered later the same day.

A report filed with police Thursday details the theft of a quantity of collectibles from the Phil Bruckler residence, 157 S. Jackson Ave.

Included were a straight-edged razor, five books of pennies, a set of brass knuckles, four pocket watches, 60 to 70 silver dimes, a cigar holder and a 1971-D coin set.

Three persons identified items which had been taken from their vehicles and recovered by police the previous week. Included were a .22 caliber rifle owned by James B. Smith, 1236 S. Canyon Dr.; seven eight-track tapes, Mrs. Don Gibb, 215 S. Ninth St., and a tree planter, John Hamilton, 629 N. 10th St.

Thefts reported during the week were:

— Auto owned by Dick Harley taken Monday from behind Morris Real Estate and recovered later the same day at Central Oregon Community College in Bend. Two juvenile suspects were in custody in connection with the incident.

— Auto owned by Don Kissler, 916 S. 12th St., was stolen Thursday and recovered later the same day in front of Redmond High School. No damage was reported.

— Auto owned by Danny Smith, 1822 S.W. Antler Ave., No. 28, taken Tuesday of last week from the bowling alley and recovered on Thursday.

— Auto taken Monday of last week from West Way Auto Sales which was recovered with severe damage the next day on the Old Bend-Redmond Highway near Deschutes Junction.

— Two-speed bike taken Monday of last week from the residence of Jim Malloy, 235 S. 12th St.

— Battery taken out of Redmond High School teacher Bill Pies’ car Wednesday while it was parked in the RHS parking lot.

25 Years Ago

Feb. 16, 2000 — Extra patrol officer to crack down on speeders

Speeders and red light-runners will have a greater chance of seeing blue lights in their rearview mirrors beginning next month.

Last week the Redmond City Council approved the police department’s request to add a second traffic officer. The position will be paid for out of traffic fines and not the city’s general fund.

However, the officer will not be bound by quotas, nor will Redmond become a speed trap, said Police Chief Lane Roberts.

The officer will have clear guidelines on expectations and will not write marginal citations, Roberts said. “The idea is to do a good job of traffic enforcement.”

For the past several years, the department has had one officer designated for traffic enforcement. However, the growth in the number of calls and staffing limits have prevented him from devoting all of his time to traffic enforcement, Roberts said. At the same time, increased traffic and complaints have created a need for more enforcement.

Having a second officer dedicated to traffic enforcement will allow the department to respond to specific traffic complaints from neighborhoods or business areas such as downtown or Highway 97, that often require an officer to “sit on it,” Roberts said.

The traffic officer will not respond to other complaints except in life-threatening emergencies, he said.

The goal is to have the hiring completed by March 1.

While the traffic officer won’t be on a quota system, the department will keep production statistics on the officer’s work to see if he is doing the job and if revenues are paying for the position. Roberts said. “If not, the position will go away.”